It looks like fall. It feels like fall. The calendar says it is the season for almost another month and half … yet we can sense that Old Man Winter is lurking, like a boogieman in a child’s nightmare waiting for the perfect moment of surprise.

Last year was my first exposure to Michigan winters. Of course everyone says my family and I chose a heck of one with which to start.

Sure, there were some adjustments — like learning that a snow blower was not at all similar to a leaf blower and that eight inches of snow barely counts as a dusting. In the end, we survived and actually enjoyed it.

But a concerning thought is that many signs point to the fact that we could be in store for an equal — or even worse — winter this year. From the farmers almanac to the color of “woolly worms” to how high the squirrels nest and even the price of salt; all have been pointed out to me as proof positive that winter will be here with a vengeance soon.

And you know what? That’s OK.

One of the things we’ve enjoyed most about living in southwest Michigan is the full distinction of four seasons, dispelling our stereotypical view that it was always winter here. In fact, the seasons are more distinct and separate here than they are in southern Ohio and eastern Kentucky where my family and I grew up. This region truly has beautiful springs exploding with growth that stand out from the amazing summers before the amazing kaleidoscope colors of fall come. Then winter brings the type of snow that you can actually enjoy.

But that doesn’t mean that we all shouldn’t be as prepared as possible.

The Michigan Committee for Severe Weather Awareness has declared Nov. 2-8 as Winter Hazards Awareness Week. The committee — formed in 1991 to promote safety awareness and coordinate public information efforts regarding tornadoes, lightning, flooding and winter weather — released its 2014-2015 informational packet.

You can find the entire document at http://tinyurl.com/wintertips2014 but here is a glance at some of the important topics it highlights:

 

• Winter Safety Tips

• Winter Hazards Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Preventing Frozen Pipes

• Preventing Roof Ice Dams

• Ice Jams/Flooding

• Preventing Flood Damage

• Flood Insurance FAQs

• Winter Power Outage Tips

• Heat Sources Safety/Portable Generator Hazards

 

All this information was helpful to someone like me who has less experience with severe winters, but it would likely even be beneficial to veteran residents who can recall the “bad old days” when it snowed 10 feet at a time and they had to walk to school in it up hill both ways.

Winter may be just around the corner — and it is certainly something we should prepare for — but the silver lining is that the rest of the seasons aren’t all that far away in the grand scheme of life.

 

Michael Caldwell is the publisher of Leader Publications LLC. He can be reached at (269) 687-7700 or by email at mike.caldwell@leaderpub.com.